NONE
Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
NOT APPLICABLE
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the restoration industry, in general, and to the drying-out of water damaged buildings, in particular.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known and understood, mobile desiccant dehumidifiers have begun to be employed more and more in recent years to dry water damaged buildings to reduce health problems caused by the incipient mold which develops. As is also known, silica gel is oftentimes employed as the desiccant in a wheel through which the moistened air is pulled from the walls, the flooring, the concrete, etc. into the dehumidifying chamber. As the silica gel, or other desiccant employed, absorbs the moisture, however, it becomes necessary to additionally heat the desiccant to liberate the moisture it collects; this, then, serves to optimize the operation in a continuous cyclexe2x80x94allowing the desiccant to continually absorb the moisture in the building. Where large-scale desiccant equipment is employed, the heat energy, required is typically provided by electric heating or propane heating. However, problems exist with both these methods of reactivating the desiccant.
For example, electric heating requires a large amount of electric power, which many damaged buildings will not have available. Utilizing alternatively provided generators, on the other hand, adds additional expense from their rental, along with an accompanying high fuel bill. Propane fired dehumidifiers, on the other hand, exhibit many disadvantages of their own: a) Special permits are frequently required to transport the propane to the work site by trailer or other vehicle; b) Additional permits are oftentimes required for working with propane at the work site itself; c) A resupply of propane may not be readily availablexe2x80x94as when the building being dried is at a remote location, or when a resupply is needed the middle-of-the-night, or on a Sunday; d) Firing the dehumidifier with propane produces a moisturizing effect which undesirably wets the processed air being dried; and e) Propane, itself, is highly flammable.
Still, as the need to reactivate the silica gel or other desiccant continues, dehumidifiers of these types continue to be usedxe2x80x94both when carried on the bed of a trailer, or when off-loaded alongside the building.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved manner of reactivating the desiccant in these de-humidifying apparatus.
It is an object of the invention, also, to provide such a manner of reactivation without adding offsetting limitations of its own.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a manner of reactivation which is readily available to use, and economical in operation.
As will become clear from the following description, apparatus according to the invention for dehumidifying moisturized air present within a building from a point external thereto includes an enclosure housing a heat exchanger, a desiccant, a first blower drawing ambient air from outside the enclosure over the heat exchanger through the desiccant in a first direction, a second blower drawing the moisturized air from within the building through the desiccant in a second direction, and means for firing the heat exchanger with diesel fuel. As will also be seen, the enclosure, in one embodiment, may rest on a ground surface adjacent to the building in which the moisturized air is presentxe2x80x94while, in a second embodiment, the enclosure may rest on a trailer or truck bed on which it is carried to the work site adjacent to the building to be dehumidified. In such instances, the desiccant may include a silica gel compositionxe2x80x94for example, in the form of a rotating silica gel wheel. In operation, the ambient air once heated is drawn through the desiccant in a direction opposite to that in which the moisturized air is drawn. The heated ambient air thus serves to liberate the moisture collected by the desiccant, in reactivating it for continuing use.
A method is thus provided for dehumidifying the moisturized air present within the building by providing a dehumidifying chamber including the heat exchanger and the desiccant. Ambient air from outside the building in which the moisturized air is present is drawn over the heat exchanger and through the desiccant in a first direction. The moisturized air present within the building is drawn through the desiccant in a second direction, with the desiccant itself being dehumidified by the ambient air passing over and around the heat exchanger. In accordance with the invention, the method includes the firing of the heat exchanger with diesel fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the dehumidifying chamber provided includes a desiccant of silica gel composition, and in the form of a rotating silica gel wheel.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the diesel fuel employed in the heating process is available virtually anywhere where diesel trucks serve as a means of transportation. Because diesel fuel provides a greater amount of BTU""s per gallon than propane, less fuel is required to provide the heat for the desiccant with diesel fuel than with propane, resulting in a cost savings in use. Also, because the diesel fuel burns without producing moisture, the processed air becomes that much dryer, enabling the reactivation of the desiccant to be accomplished faster, thereby increasing performance in operation. And, because the desiccant dehumidifier of the invention operates more efficiently, its construction allows for a reduction in the required horsepower of the reactivation blower pulling the ambient air over the heat exchangerxe2x80x94resulting in a more compact machine, for easier transportation.